Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step first time buyer’s guide created by your agent will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.
Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.
Notice I said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.
Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.
Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for an agent like me to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will I help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but I also have a knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let me show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.
My Goal is to Provide You With the Most Personalized Service That is Designed to Help You Buy Your Dream Home
This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). I will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.
Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. I will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.
In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. We can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.
Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.
Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.
No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.
After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams.
Noel was very patient and understanding when showing us homes! We have been looking for a few years and finally found the right one! She did not pressure us and was always ready to show us a Lake house when we called her! She was always ready to answer questions via text or phone call and I trust her advice or opinion on different situations when purchasing our home! Noel goes above a 5 because she cares...
Noel is very professional and gave us sound advice throughout the selling process of our home. We highly recommend her!
Noel was very knowledgeable during the whole process selling process. There were some bumps during the way and she handled them in a professional manner.
Thanks to Noel Frost for helping us find the perfect house for our retirement and being closer to the grandkids. She assisted us before, during, and after the sale. She was always responsive and helpful with whatever was needed. Thank you Noel for all your help. You are awesome.
Working with Noel is wonderful. Outstanding communication and easy to work with. Really knows the market and does everything she can to take care of her customers.
Noel was fantastic to work with. She was super easy to communicate with, and we would definitely recommend her. Thank you, Noel!
Noel sold our parent's home in a month. She had three of us kids to work with (which got a little crazy at times) and was very responsive to all of our texts and questions. Would definitely recommend Noel! Keep up the great work!
Noel was great from the start, very responsive and always a step ahead! She made selling my house a breeze and was so helpful through the process. Would definitely recommend!
Noel was great! We found a buyer right away and sold after the first showing. She was very communicative and responsive. Highly recommended.
I have known Noel for many years. It only seem natural to trust her with selling my home. She was very responsive, knowledgeable, and aware of my expectations. It was a blessing to do business with her, and I would highly recommend anyone to use her In any of their Realtor needs.
Noel was great to work with. She was professional the entire time. She was patient with me and worked with my needs and wants. She is very responsive and communicative. Highly recommend!
Noel was available for our every need and question no matter how small. She was always prompt and very pleasant to work with. She made buying and selling a home at the same time much less stressful with her knowledge in all aspects.
Noel is impressive. She is knowledgeable of the area which was a huge help because we have not lived in the area for over 30 years. We literally let her take the lead and we gladly followed. I will gladly refer her to everyone I know.
She was always extremely helpful and very professional. She made the process of home buying much easier and always gave great advice and I ended up with an amazing home and couldn’t be happier!
Noel was very kind and helped us navigate our way through the whole experience. She was very helpful in explaing every aspect of the home buying process. She was very quick to respond to our questions. We highly recommend her to anyone looking to purchasing a home! We were very greatful to have her as our realtor when purchasing our first home.
Noel was very helpful in finding us some great homes as prospects to invest in. She knew the area very well and had a lot of knowledge to share with us that has helped us pinpoint the type of property we want to end up purchasing to remodel- highly recommend! Easy and fun to work with.
I can enthusiastically recommend Noel as an outstanding real estate professional. She not only possesses extensive knowledge about real estate markets, but is also part of the #1 Coldwell Banker affiliate in Indiana, which gives her access to a large network of buyers and sellers. Her ability to apply that knowledge and experience helped to sell our house in only seven days!
Noel does a phenomenal job. She sold our house very quickly and was easy to communicate with and on top of things. If you’re looking for someone to sell your home or help you buy, my wife and I strongly recommend her.
Noel is an awesome real estate agent! She loves what she does and it shows. She handled all the details so I didn't have to worry about anything. It was a very quick and pleasant experience. I would absolutely recommend her.
11625 Coldwater Rd Fort Wayne IN 46845
